Mothers seek to restore families through the power of prayer

An international movement of mothers centred on Marian devotion and united in a mission to intercede for their families is quietly growing in Australia.

Mothers Who Pray for Their Children began in 2000 in Brazil, with a group of 20 mothers led by founder Angela Abdo.

It has now expanded to Europe, Latin America, the United States, South Africa, Angola and Australia, offering what the group says is a place of refuge, prayer and support.

Mothers Who Pray for Their Children is dedicated to the restoration of family through the transformative power of prayer.

The group says this aim is supported by three pillars—obedience, humility and unity—guiding mothers to grow spiritually and embrace their vocation as intercessors.

Australian coordinator Mary Krotwaar explains that ‘when we say unity, it’s unity within the group who are praying together and that community feeling of praying in tandem with other groups. But it’s also unity with the Church, praying with the Church, in the Church, on Church premises.’

Mary says Australia was the first English-speaking country to establish networks of mothers seeking to pray together and be formed in their faith.

Across Victoria, there are eight prayer groups who meet weekly, and one in Sydney. The Australian chapter has just held its second annual conference, with the theme ‘Faith in Action: A Mother’s Prayerful Mission’.

Mary says the movement is in the process of contacting all the Australian archbishops to raise awareness of Mothers Who Pray and get their permission to expand in churches across the nation.

She is confident that the movement will continue to grow, saying there’s an appeal in praying collectively for their children’s future and gaining the sense that their prayers are strengthened.

‘When you’ve got such large numbers of people praying for the same thing, then it’s like an army of mothers coming together, clamouring heaven for these prayers to be answered with the intercession of Our Lady.’

It’s proving to have tangible benefits for the women and their families, Mary says. Women have told her that since joining Mothers Who Pray, reciting the chaplets that form a central part of the movement, and asking for the intercession of their patron, Our Lady of La Salette, they have seen changes in their families.

‘I’ve seen changes in my own family,’ Mary says. ‘I think that it has made me a better mother.

‘And I think the faith journey of my own children has grown immensely over the time that I’ve been involved in the movement because they’ve seen me, seen my relationship with Jesus grow, my trust, my reliance. My kids have seen the way I respond to situations and take a step in faith knowing that God will give me the ground to support me in that step.’

In Brazil, there are also youth groups under the Mothers Who Pray umbrella, and a group for fathers.

‘Because if you don’t have the fathers at home looking after the kids, a lot of mums can’t come,’ Mary says. ‘Behind a praying mother is, you know, someone helping with the children. I’d love to see that as the movement grows in Australia, we will have more of these other groups that are now forming in Brazil.’

In the meantime, the movement continues on its shared spiritual journey through a five-year cycle focused on Reconciliation, Prayer, Eucharist, Penance and Mission.

Mothers Who Pray founder Angela Abdo is leading a pilgrimage later this year to La Salette in France—the site of a Marian apparition reported by two child shepherds.

Our Lady of Salette is the group’s co-patron, along with St Monica, known for her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, St Augustine.

Mary Krotwaar says they will move out of the Year of Reconciliation and into the Year of Prayer in May at the international Mothers Who Pray for Their Children annual conference in Brazil that marks the thematic change.

Paying attention to the liturgy, ‘the movement will focus on the prayer aspect of the path of holiness,’ she says.